Philadelphia Grand Jury, who have been noticeably silent for around 6 months now have confirmed what many had already gathered that they have indeed split up. In a message posted on their Facebook wall the band said:
“Philadelphia Grand Jury are no more. After years of touring together, recording together, working together and living together, we’ve decided we need our own space. Big, big thanks to everyone who has supported us and given us the opportunity to have what is pretty much a dream existence. Most of all, thanks to all the drummers that have put up with us both.”
The band’s debut album, Hope Is for Hopers, was released in 2009 where it reached #34 on the ARIA Charts and earned the band a AIR award for Best Independent Single or EP.
A few months ago news surfaced that the band had abandoned work on their follow up LP. In a statement issued to FasterLouder at the time the band said “Philadelphia Grand Jury are on something of a hiatus. No need to make it a bigger deal than it is. Creative individuals tend to have more than one project and Philadelphia Grand Jury is just one of Berkfinger’s musical personas.”
It hadn’t all been smooth sailing too with the rest of the members, particularly with their drummers who they seemed to go through like they were going out of fashion. Their original drummer Dan Williams left in 2009 to join Art Vs Science, and they temporarily replaced him with Emergency Ivan. Eventually a full-time replacement was found in Calvin Welch, an American session musician who has player for acts such as Earth, Wind and Fire.
But even Welch struggled to keep up with the rest of the band and quit a year later. The band said at the time that the “rigours of the road have proved too arduous for the 55-year-old drummer”. His replacement was Susanna Patten, famously part of I Heart Hiroshima who toured extensively with the band up until the start of 2011.
